A TASTE OF HOME--UPDATE 2
I just discovered from reading another ex-pat's blog that there are not one, but
two Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream Shops in Seoul. I think it's time to re-write my "to do" list.
I'm still waiting for Olive Garden!
LIONS AND TIGERS AND HWAJANGSIL GWISIN, OH MY!
Here's some folk culture that you may find intriguing. This information appeared in the English online version of the
Joongang Daily and was written by Ines Cho. I have edited it for this blog.
In Korean legend, a young woman who dies as a virgin becomes so bitter about her "shameful" marital status that her ghost, popularly known as
cheonyeo gwisin, or virgin ghost, hovers around her relatives and friends. She usually appears with extremely long hair and is dressed in a white hanbok. This ghost has a pale white face with dark circles and a small amount of blood drips from the side of her mouth.Since her mission to get married is incomplete, it is impossible for her to cross the boundary that leads to the afterlife. It is said that the virgin ghost curses newly-wed couples. The only way to make this ghost disappear is to have an exorcism ― or conduct a spiritual wedding for the virgin ghost with a bachelor ghost. In Korea, many people believe in the existence of this ghost and blame her for family illnesses or accidents. In Korean ghost stories, she usually appears in bathrooms, schools, lakes, around graveyards and on dark country roads. She starts her scary act around midnight and continues until dawn.
If the Grim Reaper is the figure that represents death in the United States,
Jeoseungsaja are its counterpart in Korea. They are the envoy of Yeonmnadaewang, or the king of the dead, who rules over the Buddhist hell. Jeoseungsaja float around wrapped in a black traditional Korean man's overcoat with long, full sleeves that cover their ghastly white hands. On their heads they wears a traditional Korean hat that casts an eerie shadow across a cadaverous face with red bloodshot eyes, deep dark circles, and a nose that resembles the beak of a crow. They guide the spirits of the dead to the gates of hell, where the the king of the dead dispenses punishments or rewards.According to Korean folk lore, these envoys were said to work in threes. In reality the Jeoseungsaja trios do the living no harm but are still much feared because they represent death.
The
gumiho is a legendary golden fox with nine tails, but she can morph into an enchanting beauty. In her human form, she offers an enticing place to stay over night to young men passing through the mountains. When they fall asleep, she eats their livers.The gumiho is believed to be 900 or more years old. A Gumiho possesses a precious stone in its body which it reveals only when seducing a man, to enchant him. The stone is made of the energy of former victims sucked out from their livers, and this precious stone is the key to fulfiling the fox's wish to become a true human being.
Along with the virgin ghost, there is a bachelor ghost, called a
mongdal gwisin: He doesn't have a face. Depending on how he died, the Bachelor Ghost can be of two kinds. The ones who died as miserable single men pull all kinds of evil tricks and make curses, just like the virgin ghost. If the ghost used to love a woman when he was alive, he will haunt or curse that woman. If someone dies a bachelor and something terrible happens to his family later, they assume it was due to this curse. At which point the family members dig up the grave and nail down the coffin lid before burying it again. They then beat a stake into the soil to prevent the ghost from escaping in future.
Unlike other Korean ghosts, a
dokkaebi, or goblin, is not created after someone dies, but from thrown away objects such as brooms, straw shoes and old furniture. The word dokkaebi is a combination of two words, "dot," meaning fire or seed, and "abi," which means a grown up man. A dokkaebi was regarded as a male character and happens to be crazy about pretty women. Useless discarded objects turn into dokkaebi at night and fire balls, or dokkaebigul, to mark the creation of each one.A dokkaebibul is a blue-colored flame and sometimes appears alone in one place, or in many places simultaneously. It soon disappears.There are some who say that a dokkaebi is gigantic and has only one leg, and he loves to wrestle with people. A dokkaebi is said to be so strong that it can move even mountains. He often plays pranks on innocent people, but also rewards kind people with treasures and money.
The
hwajangsil gwisin appears in the toilet, especially the old traditional ones made from holes dug in the ground. No one has ever seen the ghost itself but its red hand is said to sometimes protrude from the toilet bowl, so you might want to take a good look before you sit down in the rest room. When you are about to use the toilet paper, the hand might appear from the toilet and ask you a question: "Do you want red toilet paper or blue toilet paper?" Anyone who answers the question dies immediately. Experts suggest you answer by saying, "I don't use toilet paper, I use a bidet instead."
A TASTE OF HOME--UPDATE 1
I remembered some more U.S. franchises that one can find here in Seoul. They include Uno Chicago Grill, Tony Roma's, Bennigan's, Sbarro, Gloria Jean's Coffee, and 7-11.
It's
almost like home.
A TASTE OF HOME
When we first came to South Korea, I told Elizabeth that I didn't want to regularly frequent U.S. franchises. I really wanted to assimilate into the culture. However, as time went by, I realized that the many U.S. businesses weren't here for me, but they were busily serving the native consumers.
Just this week, I saw an advertisement for the first Build-a-Bear store which opened here in mid-September. This revelation prompted me to think of all the U.S. franchises that have taken up residence here in South Korea.
Here's a list of the various U.S. restaurant franchises that I am aware of here in Seoul.
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Pizza Hut, Domino's, Papa John's, KFC, Popeye's, Burger King, McDonald's, TGIFridays, Ruby Tuesday, Outback Steakhouse, Baskin-Robbins, Dunkin' Doughnuts, Schlotzsky's Deli, Subway, and Starbucks. There may be more, but my mind can't think of any more at the moment.
Most of these places are thriving and many seem ubiquitous. The fare offered is, for the most part, the usual menu, but there are usually Korean adaptions and additons. For instance at McDonald's you can get a bulgogi burger, at Outback you can have kimchi as a side dish, at Dunkin'Doughnuts you can get red bean-filled doughnuts, and at the pizza places you can get sweet potato pizza.
Many American-brand products are available, and we have CostCo where we can get hard-to-find, must-have items such as cheese. We did have Wal-mart here until this past May; they didn't do well against the Korean chains like E-Mart and Home Plus.
Now if only we could get an Olive Garden!
SPUDOODLES
On Wednesday we [Elizabeth and her students] made spudoodles in life science. We actually handled this lab fairly well. I just have to remember that 21 seventh graders take a long time to get through a lab. (This project is meant to demonstrate genetics. Each pair of students makes a spud creature following certain directions.) One student was a bit distressed at the end and insisted his "spudoodle" did not look like him. (It wasn't supposed to look like him!) An 8th grader who was not here last year saw the spudoodles and wanted to know what they were. He did not understand my explanation so he asked me to spell the word. The next thing I know,he's looking it up in his electronic dictionary. I had to laugh. It was NOT going to be there.
FROM PUFFER FISH TO PUFFY HAIR
Oh, the things teachers will do for their students! Friday's Spirit Week theme was (Can you guess?) bad hair day. I wonder if this is how I would have looked if I'd been a wild and crazy guy in the 70s. Two students colored their hair gray which caused me to observe that gray hair wasn't
bad hair.
SURVEY: TUNA OR PUFFER?
Today we observed Marina Day for Spirit Week at our school. I was truly "Mr. Fish." (Personally, I've never been much of a hat-person.)
OUR FAVORITE GRANDSON
A.J. is ready for church.
Going on his first bike ride.
Surprise!
This is the only way to hike.
CHUSEOK
We're out for Chuseok, one of the biggest holidays for Koreans. This year's holiday fell on days that made it possible for people to take the entire week, so many have taken family vacations. Flights out of Korea are impossible to find.
We Americans are all planning to sleep in. The beginning of school has been tiring, and this is the first real break. We're still dealing with sickness among our students. Fortunately, no one else has come down with my flu.
Abby's birthday is Monday. She plans to have over some Korean friends next Friday night.
Funny story: Twice in the past couple of weeks, Larry has had the same student exclaim, "You sound just like an American." (He was relieved!) The second time it happened, one of her classmates asked her if she thought he was Chinese.
A praise was finding a new apartment for two of the teachers. Their lease on their current apartment was running out. Unfortunately, the housing market is not good right now, so things are expensive and scarce. They will be moving the end of October to an apartment near us. (Larry says that is a prayer request!)
